The WINTER Reign
by Vampire Princess Freya
Summary: After 5 months; SHIELD is now viewed as international terrorists w/ HYDRA still on the loose & w/ another threat; two 'Miracle Twins' w/ mutant powers, along w/ a plan that could cause a second ice age. Now it's up to what's left of SHIELD & the Avengers to end it, but they'll need the help of SHIELD Agent Grey for HYDRA's intel, but she might also know of Bucky's whereabouts...
1. Prologue

_/Hey everyone, it's been a while hasn't it since I've written anything. Well, I just sorta got back into my writing muse, so if my grammar is messed up or my format is wrong I apologize, I haven't written anything in over a year lolz. So I had a sudden idea hit me a while back and I've been thinking about it long enough to put in an actual storyline so I hope you enjoy this. But just so you know as a warning, this fanfic is mainly in the perspective of Captain Rogers, but also my own character, Agent Grey (she's a girl, but she will be REALISTIC). I will try to my full potential to make this as realistic and as close to the movies/personalities as possible, and I am not going to be hasty with any kind of shipping of sorts (Iwannatryandbuildsomesexualtension XD Lolz) I'm going to take my time with this fanfic and I hope you all enjoy it./_

**-PROLOGUE—**

**Berlin, Germany**

**December 9****th****, 1990**

**12:25 AM**

"She's a strong one is she not, doctor Krause?" An accented voice said as its owner loomed over the squirming little creature, the metal ring of his monocle glinting under the surgical lights of the dark room as the doctor examined the infant carefully.

He had been waiting decades for this. He had finally found the perfect subject for his plans; the plans that were left unfinished by his late comrade, but never did he think he'd find it within a newborn child.

He turned his head as he looked down at her; she was average sized, weighing at 6 ½ pounds with dark peach-fuzz hair that stuck up slightly, pale olive skin, and eyes that took on the most unusual pairing; the right eye a dark brown and the left an icy blue. She looked up at the strange men looming over her, being quite alert for an infant who was only a few days old. The man with the monocle adjusted his eyepiece slightly as he examined her from an angle.

"Ah…a beautiful little thing…nothing that Schmidt could have ever dreamed let alone _thought _of doing…our fate weighing on the shoulders of a child. He's probably be kicking himself in his grave…to think that such a small little thing could change us, to change this world…however, he failed to see that the smaller the idea, the greater the glory…" he said with a slight chuckle. The doctor nodded as finished looking over the small child, sighing a bit. He seemed unimpressed.

"…Vitals seemed to be normal, and nothing seems to be anything out of the ordinary." He pulled his gloved hands away and turned to the man who just inquired him moments before.

"Overall, she seems like a perfectly normal child."

The other man was silent before turning away, one hand folded behind his back, while the other reached for something on the tray next to them.

"Not quite…"

"Sir?" the doctor looked at him inquiringly. The man came back with what looked like an injection pen pressed to the infants arm, "…she is not 'normal' as you say it…" he pressed the button at the end, and the child made a fussy cry as he pulled the pen away, leaving a small mark behind, but quickly closed up.

"Sir, what did you…" the doctor looked at the man in confusion.

"Do not worry; it is just to ensure her task will be completed…"

"You forget doctor that she was born for a specific reason. A very _special _one at that, she is not a 'normal' child as you say…" he turned stepped forward into the light making his face fully visible. "…she is _far _beyond that…" the man's eyes narrowed as he saw the baby's skin began to glint in an odd way, like small, fractured fragments of ice, fluctuating back and forth from skin to the frost-like pattern before stabilizing back to its original human state. The Dr. Krause looked at the infant apprehensively with wide eyes before looking back at the other man, at a complete loss for words.

Baron Wolfgang von Strucker loomed over the infant as a crooked smile worked its way across his scarred features, his usually vapid eyes glinting with malicious intent and excitement. Finally he had found one; the perfect candidate to bring them back to their former glory. He could feel that power was soon to be in his grasp, or was possibly lying before him.

Strucker's eyes flicked over to Krause for a moment, sensing his discomfort before speaking again, the tone of his voice was calm, if not holding a tinge of exasperation.

"Calm yourself doctor, she nothing if not harmless, she cannot cause any damage…for now." he sighed.

The doctor relaxed slightly, but still felt a little uncomfortable. The Baron put his hand gently on the infant's head as he gave an almost fond expression over his belligerent-like features as he brushed back the dark fuzz of her hair.

"W-what…how…?"

"That, Dr. Krause…"

The man turned to him with raised eyebrows, "…was a glimpse of the future." He said before his gaze returned to the child in a power hungry way.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as his vision was taken over by the images of his dream. "…I can just feel our victory now…" He muttered to himself under his breath. He looked up at Krause briefly before looking back at the small creature before him.

"…the mother, what became of her?" he inquired without looking away.

"Dead, Herr Strucker…it seems the child was too much for her body to handle."

"Unfortunate. And what of the father…?"

Strucker's face was indifferent with the news of the mother, not seeming to care much.

The doctor paused before a glint of smugness flashed in his eyes before it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"…he has been… taken care of…" He said with a subtle nod, the slightest of smiles working on his face.

With that news, he slowly picked up the infant in his arms, a sort of prideful look on his face, "I believe you covered your tracks?"

"Yes, Herr Strucker."

"Was he any trouble?"

"No sir. He seemed…fairly willing. Shame though. He doesn't know what he's missing."

Krause gave a quiet chuckle. Strucker didn't seem to share his companion's amusement as he was too focused on his 'work'.

"Shame indeed. You have my praise." He seemed to smile at the doctor, who, for a brief moment, had a look of pride light up his features. But that however was short lived as three decisive clicks were heard.

_Click!_

_Click!_

_Click!_

Krause toppled over with a grunt onto the tiled floor in a puddle of blood which was gushing from the wounds in his chest and stomach, the glint of life leaving his eyes.

Strucker stood over him with an unamused look. His luger pistol was smoking at the end of the silencer's barrel, having shot the man in front of him only just moments before. He returned the weapon back to its holster, his other arm holding the child firmly against him.

He gave the former doctor a nudge with his boot to make sure the bullets had done their job before sighing.

"This is nothing personal Dr. Krause. It is simply business. And unfortunately, there was simply no longer any room for you to be in it." He turned and left the room where he met two foot soldiers waiting outside. They had badges with their infamous insignia; a malevolent looking red skull with eight tentacles splayed out underneath it.

Strucker didn't take his time to stop, but instead gave his orders while passing by, "Clean up the mess in there. I don't want that dummkof smelling up the place…" They nodded and obeyed, one of the two calling out a few others in German to follow.

Strucker sighed again before he smirked as he continued to look down at the infant with that same prideful glint in his eye, the child, completely oblivious to her surroundings, as she stared back with the same childish ignorance any infant would have.

But her eyes appeared to have a knowing expression to them.

Strucker's smirk widened as he put a gloved hand on her head, "…'cut off one head, two more will take its place'…"

He then leaned in closer to her head, and said in a hushed whisper, his smirk turning into a twisted grin.

"…_Heil Hydra, mein fraulein…"_

_/This is just the prologue of the story. If you don't get it, don't worry, it's supposed to be a bit vague/subtle. So, Read and Review I guess. I'd really like to get some feedback on this. So I hope you enjoyed this. ^_^; / _


	2. Chapter 1 RECOVERY

**The W.I.N.T.E.R. Reign**

**Chapter 1.**

**R.E.C.O.V.E.R.Y.**

_He was back on HYDRA's carrier train._

_His fingers were numb through his leather gloves as he gripped for dear life on what was left of the safety handle as he dangled outside the moving train, his eyes avoiding the ground which was hundreds of feet below him. But his focus was on a pair of eyes looking back at him._

_He wasn't just holding on for himself. _

_His other hand was gripping another's tightly, not daring to let go of its owner. His best friend, Bucky Barnes was looking up at him with his desperate blue eyes, gripping his arm just as tightly as he was literally dangling between life and death._

_'Don't let go!' Bucky yelled up to him._

_'I won't! We're gonna get out of here together Buck, just hold on!'_

_He tried to haul him back up on the train, the numbing cold wind stabbing at his face and skin like millions of needles; he could feel his grip slipping from the bar and his friend's hand. His senses were numbed, and everything around them ceased to exist as he focused on the one who occupied his gaze._

_'We're getting out of here Bucky, just you and me! Just hold on..!'_

_He wasn't sure if he was reassuring his friend or himself, but he was determined to get them out of this mess._

_He tried to pull him up; they were so close, so close to getting out of this hell..._

_But his hand slipped._

_And he was gone._

_'BUCKY...!'_

* * *

Darkness met the eyes of Captain Steve Rogers as he awoke in a cold sweat. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness around him, and for him to realize that he wasn't in 1945 anymore. And Bucky wasn't dead.

For a brief moment, he almost felt a twinge of disappointment at this realization before it disappeared as quickly as it came.

It was quiet throughout his bedroom except for the sound of his heaving breaths and his heart pounding against his rib cage. He sat up slowly, supporting himself with an arm as his free hand wiped down his face and ran through his hair before pulling it away to stare at it.

He could still feel the numbing cold and the feeling of Bucky's fingers digging into him, like the vestiges of the memory had permanently ingrained themselves into his skin, wanting him to remember it all. It all felt so real, like he was reliving every agonizing moment of it.

He sighed again and let his hand fall into his lap as he looked towards his alarm clock;

3:25 A.M.

Same time he'd woken up the last time he'd had that dream, which was yesterday, and the day before that, and so on.

He'd been having the same dream almost every night ever since he'd set out looking for Bucky. He and Wilson had went on every lead they could get to find him, only to be lead from to one dead end to another. He was beginning to wonder if Bucky had once again become untraceable like he had over the past several decades, leaving him a transparent stranger in the crowd.

But he wasn't giving up. Not now. He lost his best friend once, he wasn't going to lose him again and leave things as they are: unresolved, unanswered, and being unable to forgive himself.

But what would he do once he found him?

That question and these dreams had been plaguing the Captain's mind since they'd started their search.

And that was five months ago.

Usually when this happened he'd go and run it off, or go down to the basement and vent it out on one of his battered punching bags, no matter how early or late it was, he thought that if he ran fast enough and hit hard enough he'd be able to outrun them, to drown them out until there was nothing left. But today, he didn't have the mental or emotional strength to. Not today.

Suddenly his phone vibrated loudly, making him jump. He groaned and rubbed his face tiredly before reaching over to the nightstand and answering it.

"Hello...?"

"Hey Steve, you awake?" A familiar voice spoke through the other end of the line. It was Sam.

"If I wasn't, would I be talking to you now?" He said in a slightly sarcastic way.

"Great, cuz I got something you might wanna hear..."

"Um...can it wait? It's kind of early..."

"No, it's about Fury."

Steve sat up more as he listened, pressing the device closer against his ear, "What about Fury? What's this about?"

"You're just gonna have to come out here and see for yourself, man..."

Steve thought for a moment before he rubbed his face again and sighed, "...Alright. I'll be there at 4:00." Without another word, he flipped his phone shut and got out of bed.

* * *

The ride from his apartment to Sam's place wasn't as long since the usually traffic jammed streets of downtown were always empty in the early hours. The sun was just barely beginning to peak over the city skyline, but it was still too dark for the street lights to be off just yet.

Steve's Harley rumbled down through the neighborhood streets, its loud motor breaking the silence as he went by only to slowly settle back into their silent states when he had past.

He eventually slowed to a stop and killed the ignition when he pulled up in Sam's driveway; he hoped he didn't wake up any of the neighbors.

The sun was just peaking over the horizon, the sky now becoming a lighter shade of grey and blue as he dismounted his bike, kicking the rest down before making his way up the stairs, but tried to be as quiet as possible, figuring that if Sam wanted him to come over this early in the morning, he didn't want to be noticed by any suspicious figures. That, and also he didn't want anyone yelling at him for all the noise he was making.

He made it to the porch and opened the screen before he knocked the front door lightly with his knuckle, "Hey, Sam-". It creaked open as soon as he touched it, not seeming to have been closed all the way. Steve pulled his hand away and furrowed his brow slightly. Something didn't feel quite right. He let himself in and closed the door behind him with a soft click, his eyes roaming around slowly, "Sam...?" He called out quietly, but didn't get a response.

All the lights in the house seemed to be off except for a lamp light and whispering sounds coming from the living room. He suspected it was just Sam, sitting at his computer talking to himself like he had been for this past few months, searching for leads on Bucky, and old classified files that were removed from some of the archives (and the internet), strewn all over the desk. But he didn't hear any typing on the keyboard, and couldn't help but feel a little suspicious about that.

He peered around the corner slowly, looking around, "Sam...?" He said quietly, looking around room, "Sam, you in here-?"

"…Behind you, Rogers."

He whirled around, flinching slightly, when he saw him sitting in one of the armchairs in a t-shirt and sweats with some coffee in his hand, and looking like he'd just rolled out of bed himself.

Steve let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in, "Jesus, Wilson do you have to-?" He stopped in mid-sentence when he realized it wasn't just Wilson.

Nick Fury sat across from Sam in one of the lounge chairs, wearing a dark sweatshirt, jeans, and a pair of dark tinted shades over his eyes, even though the sun wasn't completely out yet. But he soon removed them, revealing his one damaged eye as they both bore into him with that same serious look that only Director Fury could have.

"It's been a while, Steve."

Steve was still a little dazed before he was able to actually say anything, "U-um, yeah... Didn't you hear me...?" He pointed behind him over at the door almost stupidly.

"Yeah, we did, but we were in the middle of talking about important matters..." Fury said.

Steve frowned a little, walking over to him, "...well couldn't you have waited until I got here-?"

"And do what? Stare at each other in the dark intensely while we talk about how good we look?" Fury cut in sarcastically. Wilson shrugged and sat back in his chair, muttering to himself, "I honestly wouldn't have had a problem with that..." Fury rolled his eyes, or eye, and groaned.

"Nick, what are you doing here." He said flatly. When he didn't get an immediate answer, he looked over at Sam, demanding an explanation, but he only shrugged and gave him a look that said 'the hell should I know?'

Fury looked at the two exchanging their silent conversation before directing his focus back on the Captain, "Have a seat Rogers." He said leaning in and resting his arms on his knees, the same posture he always had when they were going to discuss something important or serious. Or both.

Steve could never really tell if Fury was bringing good or bad news, and with him showing up likes this after lying low for almost half a year. He really couldn't tell. He was overall just a complicated guy.

Steve found himself getting comfortable in one of the armchairs across from the former Director, he looked between him and Sam before speaking, "...So, what's all this about? Considering you called me at 3:00 in the morning, it's probably important-"

"Steve. If a 'dead guy' comes to my house at 4:00 in the morning asking you to get your ass over here to talk, then it's gotta be pretty damn important." Sam cut him off, obviously not too happy himself that he'd been woken up so early, "...especially when they're breaking and entering at this god forsaken hour..."

Fury rolled his eye(s) again, shaking his head, "It's not breaking and entering when you leave your god damn door unlocked."

"I need to fix that."

"_Gentlemen_," Steve was getting impatient now, "You were talking about the 'important matter' at hand? And also, if you wanted to talk to me, Nick, then why didn't you come to me directly?" he demanded, wanting to get answers, and soon.

"I thought it'd be best to go to the least obvious place." Nick said a-matter-of-factly, making Sam roll his eyes a bit before getting up and walking towards the kitchen, muttering about making more coffee.

Fury's eye followed him as he left before looking back at Steve, "I already explained it to Wilson, but other than that, this is something that I needed to tell you first hand face to face..." He took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.

Steve looked at Nick and then over in Sam's direction before it hit him, "Wait, is this about HYDRA-?"

"Yes, but that's not the only thing I wanted to talk about." Nick cut in. Steve closed his mouth and focused his attention on the former Director. Fury seemed to have an uncomfortable look before it was quickly replaced with his usual expression.

"I'm gonna need you two to come back out on the field..." he said with a sigh, Steve sat up, "Nick, I'm not-"

"I know what you're thinking, Steve, and I don't know what else to do. Most of my 'back up' is unreachable, and what I have left of my agents aren't enough." He looked Steve in the eye with an expression that looked to be the closest thing to desperation. Sam looked at Steve with an almost conceding look, like he didn't know what to do either.

Steve sighed and sat back in his chair looking Fury in his only eye, "What's the update Nick..."

The Director exhaled, pausing for a moment before speaking, "HYDRA's seemed to have erase itself from the face of the earth somehow. When both SHIELD and HYDRA had been compromised, and all of our classified records had been put out into the open, it wasn't all of it."

Steve leaned in, his brow furrowing inquiringly, "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that I was able to keep most of SHIELD's major archives from getting out into the open, like 'Phase 2' weapon designs, the plans for Project Insight, and several hundred classified files that we couldn't risk the public getting their hands on. I had Romanoff make sure of that." He said before he sighed, "But aside from that, everything that defines SHIELD, you, me, and the Avengers has made it to the public. SHIELD itself is still viewed as an international threat, but it's seemed to have died down a bit."

"How many of the archives have been preserved?" Steve asked, a little concerned, since he hadn't given a thought as to exactly _what _made it out.

"…Now that I can't tell you." Nick said immediately, "What? Is it _that_ classified? If you're telling me all of this, I should know what's going on..." Steve asked, almost rolling his eyes at the secrecy thing.

"That's part of it, and also I just don't know." Fury said candidly. Steve blinked, "Okay then…that's helpful..."

The Director held up a hand, "...But, on a better note, HYDRA's moles have all been compromised; and most of 'em have ended up dead, but I don't know how many are left." Steve's expression became serious, but he started to feel some slight relief, but that feeling was then suppressed by another possible problem, "What else did you find out about HYDRA...?" suddenly another thought came to mind, "...Did you find anything else on Bucky…?"

Nick sat up a bit more, and shook his head, "No. I've looked through all of HYRDA's files, and I couldn't find anything else on him that you'd find useful." Steve's chest suddenly felt heavy, but looked up when Nick started talking again, "Now this is where the weird part comes in…" He paused for a moment before he continued, "...I found a few of HYDRA's remaining cell bases in Ukraine, Hungary, and Northern Romania...and when I was there, they were nothing less of a ghost town. Not even a speck of dust. They were wiped completely clean; from equipment to data. It's like they never existed. My guess is that they went into deeper cover and relocated…"

"Well wherever they're at, they've obviously left us without any leads, and their current files won't be any help…" Sam came back in the room with a cup of coffee and sat back down.

"But what about SHIELD, what's happening with them?" Steve leaned in, getting anxious almost.

That's when Nick put his shades back on, sitting up straight, "SHIELD might be compromised, but because of those saved Archives and the extermination of HYDRA's spies; we won't have to start at square one. So it will give us a chance to get back to business and I can come out of hiding...eventually, but not yet. Not for a while. Our main prerogative as of now is to pick up the pieces, and to find HYDRA before anything else ends up getting blown up..." He sighed again and turned, "But the main reason why I'm here is to show you this..." He then brought out a thick, yellow file folder from the side table and set it on the coffee table in front of Steve and pushing it towards him.

The edges of the folder were frayed and worn, seeming to be decades old. The front of the folder said in thick, red letters; 'S.H.I.E.L.D. ARCHIVES: CLASSIFIED.'

The Captain furrowed his brow in confusion as he picked up the file and flipped it open, "What's this for?"

Nick stood up, grabbing his other coat, "I might not have any leads on your friend, or HYDRA, but I know someone who might..." He motioned towards the file in his hands, that's when Sam stood up, finally getting interested as he looked over Steve's shoulder.

"She's been our top double-agent for years. She was sent into HYDRA for some undercover recon work. But she was recalled from the mission a week before they were compromised."

"Where can we find her?" Sam asked, looking up at Fury who was already at the door. The Director laughed, shaking his head as he put his coat back on, "You can't look for this girl." He said with an amused smirk. Steve and Sam exchanged confused glances as Fury opened the door.

"She's gotta find _you_."

And with that, he closed the door behind him, leaving the two men confused and their questions unanswered. Sam looked over at Steve and exhaled. "Want some coffee?"

Steve groaned, rubbing his face, "Oh god, yes please…"

_/I tried. I really did. TT_TT this took me two days to do. Took forever, I tried to make this realistic…did I succeed? Gimme some feedback/review if you can,thanks~/_


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